In the cultural mixing pot that is Hong Kong, there are new exciting dining and drinking concepts popping up all the time, from innovative fine dining and internationally known restaurants coming to the city for the first time to locally-born exploratory fusion. Stay on top of the need-to-knows of the dining scene with our restaurant and bar opening guide.
Calle Ocho
A brand new lunch, brunch, dinner, and drinks spot has arrived on the corner of Fashion Walk overlooking Victoria Park. Calle Ocho is a tapas restaurant and bar with decor inspired by the Madrid de Los Austrias neighbourhood in Spain. Sit by the Jamon Bar on the first floor and watch premium Iberico ham carved in front of you, or enjoy an intimate lunch with friends on the sunlight-flooded second floor. Freshly made tapas like the ‘Uni-cone’, tuna tartar topped with sea urchin served on an ice cream cone, are both creative and accessible.
Fashion Walk, 8 Cleveland St, Causeway Bay | +852 2638 8895
F.I.G.S. Bistro Mediterranean & Apéro Terrace Bar
Set sail on a culinary journey through Southern Europe with this brand new opening in Taikoo Shing. F.I.G.S., an acronym for France, Italy, Greece, and Spain, brings you an al fresco venue for casual business lunches, boozy brunches, and happy hours. Diners can expect refreshing, satisfying dishes taken from Sicily, coastal Greece, and Marbella like the scallop ceviche and crab cannelloni, craft cocktails made with home-infused gin, and smoky, comforting plates like slow-cooked lamb shank.
Shop 601, 6/F, 1111 King’s Rd, Cityplaza One, Taikoo Shing, Quarry Bay | +852 6108 9153
Kushitei
Kushitei is a restaurant opening in early February that revolves around the Japanese skewer cuisine of kushiage. With 10 branches already in Japan loved for their lively atmosphere and light, crispy batter, Hong Kong is its first ever international venture. The cozy space seats nine at the omakase counter and 12 at surrounding tables. The headliner will be the free-range Kurosatsuma chicken, prepared in novel methods.
Shop G04-05, G/F, Grand Centre, 8 Humphreys Ave, Tsim Sha Tsui | +852 2688 6150
Smokehouse Bar & Grill
Smokehouse Bar & Grill is bringing the time-honoured Texan smokehouse tradition to Mong Kok, with a collection of smoky cocktails to pair. The rustic interior set on the 13th floor of Langham Place makes a great setting for date night. Their signatures, including the Beef Brisket, Smoky Cumin Lamb Skewer, and Char-grilled Whole Seabass are prepared in their in-house Lyfe Tyme BBQ pit, industrial Basta oven wood smoker, and kebab grill.
Shop 05, Level 13, Langham Place, 8 Argyle St, Mong Kok | +852 2972 0078
Bushra
Bushra is Tsim Sha Tsui East’s exciting new two-storey Middle Eastern restaurant and shisha lounge. Share Mediterannean mezze, cocktails with Middle Eastern flair curated by Sandeep Kumar, co-founder of The Wise King (think espresso martinis with Turkish coffee), and shisha in the cave-like indoor lounge or outside on the hookah terraces.
G6 & UG16, Tsim Sha Tsui Centre, 66 Mody Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui | +852 6172 3591
Big Buns
Wan Chai’s newest grab’n’go sandwich shop, Big Buns is serving up all-day sandwiches packed with calories. Local food entrepreneur and chef Jeff Li dreamed up the menu based on his love for outrageous, creative food truck fare. Sandies for takeaway include The Hangover (HK$68), which is an American diner-style breakfast between bread; The Guacamole, Prawn and Fried Egg Sando (HK$78), a breakfast sandwich for champions, and the classic Grilled Cheese (HK$48) served hot off the griddle (add HK$30 for warm tomato soup).
Shop G16, Emperor Group Centre, 288 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
Crust Sorrento
Crust, the Wan Chai aperitivo spot frequented by the office crowd during happy hour, has opened a new al fresco location on Tseung Kwan O South Promenade. The flavours of Naples and the Amalfi Coast from the original Crust are ever-present, with branch-exclusive Crocchettones, a Neapolitan street food. And of course, outdoor seating is pet-friendly.
Shop No. 5, G/F, The Monterey Complex, 23 Tong Chun St, Tseung Kwan O | +852 2205 6311 or [email protected]
Kappou Mu and room 3
Kappou Mu, an interactive omakase restaurant, and room 3, a speakeasy with Japanese cocktails and tapas, is set to open mid-December in the same 3,000 sq.ft space within H Zentre. Two different concepts are united under one roof by their Japanese inspiration: minimalist kappou counters where diners can watch the chef’s imagination bloom with premium seafood and three sleek chambers that make up the contemporary cocktail bar that is room 3.
Shop UG01-03, UG/F, H Zentre, 15 Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui | +852 6617 6602 (Kappou Mu) and +852 6361 8505 (room 3)
Rosita
The latest restaurant to open its doors on Ship Street, Rosita is a semi-fine Latin American restaurant with Japanese and French influence. Soft-opening for dinner starting mid-December, serving only the six-course tasting menu (HK$988), the concept is led by chef-founders Richardo Chaneton of MONO and Agustin Balbi of one-Michelin-star Andō. Home dishes from around Latin America, touched by Japanese sensibilities and classic French flair, are paired with the South American-centering wine list.
1-7 Ship Street, Wan Chai | +852 9726 4188 or [email protected]
Bàrbar
Newly joining Ship Street’s line-up of fantastic F&B is Bàrbar, a casual Spanish wine and tapas bar. Under the direction of the same minds that birthed Pica Pica, it boasts the most extensive selection of Spanish wines by the glass in Hong Kong. The name comes from the combination of open kitchen tapas bar and intimate four-seater wine bar, where diners can appreciate the communal spirit of Spanish food culture with a theatrical touch. Bàrbar features a Josper grill, a grill-oven invented in Barcelona that reaches exceptionally high temperatures, forming a delightful crust on meat and seafood while retaining the natural juices.
Bàrbar, Shop A, G/F, 9 Ship St, Wan Chai | +852 2810 0008
Ozakaya
Upscale izakaya is on the menu tonight! Ozakaya is a vibrant opening in Wan Chai that presents Osaka cuisine with innovation, fun, and stylish surroundings designed by award-winning architect Ronald Lu. Experimental cocktails (all priced at HK$139) include the Ozatini, a Japanese-style cocktail with the sweetness of kyoho grapes. The menu is separated into Sushi and Sashimi, Raw, Green, Small, Fried, Grill, Grain, and Sweet categories, with original dishes like Scallop and Ikura Okonomiyaki (HK$178) and Uni and Bone Marrow Noodle (HK$288). These can be savoured at the 12-seat sushi counter and show kitchen.
Ozakaya, 1/F, 74-80 Johnston Rd, Wan Chai | +852 3702 5245 or 9506 1245
Header image credits: Schnitzel & Schnaps
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